


Magic Trick

by artifactstorageroom3_archivist



Category: The Sentinel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-05-26
Updated: 2009-05-26
Packaged: 2019-06-13 03:22:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15355110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artifactstorageroom3_archivist/pseuds/artifactstorageroom3_archivist
Summary: Blair attempts to discuss mysticism and magic tricks with Jim





	Magic Trick

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Elaine, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Artifact Storage Room 3](https://fanlore.org/wiki/Artifact_Storage_Room_3) and was moved to the AO3 as part of the Open Doors project in 2018. I tried to reach out to all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are the creator and would like to claim this work, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Artifact Storage Room 3’s collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/artifactstorageroom3/profile).
> 
> **Author's notes:**
> 
> If you’re going to be upset by allusions to how the “penny through the plate” magic trick works, then read no further. 
> 
> Minor bad language

“It’s magic, Sandburg. The point of it is that you walk away feeling awed about it. The point isn’t to try to figure out how it’s done so you can tell all your friends,” Jim pointed out with an irritated edge in his voice.

“I cannot believe you. You’re a detective by choice and a sentinel by nature. You mean to tell me that you really don’t want to know how the magic tricks work?”

“Yeah, I do mean to tell you that. Look, Chief, work is work. Magic shows… they’re fun, you know?”

Blair snorted is disbelief. “Magic shows are like puzzles. The whole point is that you know that it isn’t really ‘magic,’ so you try to figure out how they do their tricks. If they’re good, then you can’t figure it out.”

“Well, I’d be a pretty sorry detective and sentinel if I couldn’t figure out how the tricks work,” Jim replied easily as he flicked on his left turn signal and prepared to changed lanes coming out of the venue.

“Wait, wait. You’re saying that your sentinel abilities let you know how the tricks worked? Even that one with the, the spiraling spears and the dancing girl with the chicken?”

“No, I’m saying that they could’ve if I’d used them. Which I didn’t. Even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you because that isn’t the point of a magic show. Magicians should never tell their secrets, Chief. And I’m not going to go spilling secrets that aren’t mine to tell.”

“You are completely missing the point here. The point…”

“I thought the point was to get away from the office and the sentinel stuff for a night,” Jim interrupted his partner.

“You just don’t know how to correctly enjoy a magic act,” Blair groused.

Jim sighed and shook his head. “For the last time, you don’t explain magic. It just happens. Yeah there are reasons for it, but it really spoils it all if you look into it too deeply.”

“Well that certainly explains why you date so many criminals,” Blair muttered.

“Excuse me? What does my love life have to do with you trying to spoil a good show?”

“We were talking about magic, Jim.”

“Oh, I see. This is your way of segueing away from the topic because I’m right.”

“No, it’s my way of trying to tie your world views together. You’re always hesitant to investigate the ‘why’ of more mystical happenings. Magic shows, ghosts, love… dare I mention spirit guides?”

“Are we going to go over that again?”

“No, not again, Jim. For there to be an again, there would have to be a first time, and guess what? There wasn’t one.”

“What, so you just, just take me halfway across Cascade to lower my defenses with a good time so that you can nag at me all the way back to the loft?”

“Nag? Nag? What am I your mother? And I resent the implications of that. I have never lured you anywhere.”

“Luring, coercion, same thing,” Jim snipped as he flicked the windshield wiper switch with more force than necessary.

“Oh, and you’re Mr. Blameless? In case you forgot…”

“I haven’t forgotten anything, Chief. I’m just pointing out that you don’t need to analyze everything to death.”

“Oh, that’s funny Jim, really funny because my not analyzing actually lead to my death, so you know I, HEY!” Blair cut off mid rant as the truck veered abruptly to over to the curb and came to a quick, shuddering stop.

“Don’t you ever, EVER call that your fault again,” Jim snarled as he leaned as far in Blair’s direction as the seatbelt would allow him to go.

“And whose fault do you think it was? Yours? Man, you were so, so off somewhere, and I missed it. You said it yourself; it is my job to know about the sentinel stuff. If I hadn’t been so preoccupied with having another potential sentinel, maybe I would’ve paid more attention to the signs instead of letting you push me away.”

“I think, Chief, that it was Alex Barnes’s fault. Did you drown yourself? Did I? If we hadn’t had a falling out, if I hadn’t pushed you out of your home, could I guarantee that you wouldn’t have been in your office alone that day? If you had paid more attention to me, would that have kept her from coming after you? Would it have kept you from pursuing her as another source of information for your thesis?”

Blair stared uncomprehendingly at his friend for a second before shaking his head.

“Good, now if you want to talk about me being a jackass, feel free,” Jim stated calmly as he pulled back out into traffic.

“I didn’t realize that you thought about it at all,” Blair softly commented after a couple of blocks.

“Yeah? What did you think I did then?”

Blair shrugged and stared out his window. “Repressed it, I guess.”

“It’s like I said, Sandburg, sometimes you don’t want to know the reason behind the magic trick, or it isn’t magical anymore. And sometimes when you know the ‘how’ of something it isn’t special anymore.”

“Is that what you’re afraid of then? Not being special to me anymore?” Blair hazarded a guess.

“Sandburg, you were dead. The paramedics called it. Hell Simon could’ve called it. If I look too deep into the magic trick, I’m gonna find out the price of the props, you know? What if the price of bringing you back is ten years off of my life? What if to even out the cosmic scales some poor kid in Africa starved to death? Could you live with that kind of guilt? I don’t want to know how the magic trick is done, Chief. I only want it to happen.”

“I can see your point. I can, but ignorance of something is just plain a bad idea. If it took those ten years off your life, then don’t you want to know so that you can have the time to live the rest of your life to its fullest? If it killed some kid somewhere, don’t you want to know not to do it again? And what if the results were good? What if by bringing me back it added ten years to your life, or I saved some kid’s life because you saved mine? You can’t put limits on this thing like that,” Blair argued.

Jim shrugged and they lapsed into silence until Jim brought the truck to a halt as he pulled into his parking spot outside their building.

“If you can’t or won’t tell me the how, can you at least tell me the why?” Blair blurted out even as Jim’s hand curled around the door handle on the driver’s side.

“I didn’t want you to die. What other motivation did I need?”

“Yeah, but you’ve had people close to you die before, and you didn’t save them.”

Jim opened the door, but made no move to get out.

“They were close, Chief. But… it’s like the penny through a plate trick. The way that the penny gets into the glass is because it’s already there. The penny that ‘passes through’ only ever gets close,” he finally said as he swung himself out of the vehicle and began walking to the building.


End file.
